The FedEx Forum opens its doors at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18, for Memphis Madness.

By Grant Milner

One of the most anticipated events every fall in the Bluff City is Memphis Madness. The event gives fans an opportunity to see the Tiger basketball team for the first time before the season gets underway. This year’s team has nine new faces, including seven freshmen and two senior transfers.

“Memphis Madness can’t get here fast enough,” said freshman guard Markel Crawford. “Seeing that I was hurt when I came to the last Memphis Madness, the fans really love it and it’s just a good experience.”

The doors to FedExForum will open Friday, Oct. 18 at 6:30 p.m. for the event, preceded by a live disc jockey on the outdoor plaza starting at 4:30 p.m.

When the doors open, the first 1,000 fans will receive autograph vouchers, as the men’s team will be signing autographs for fans from 6:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.

Once the autograph session is completed, the agenda for the event inside the arena is unparalleled.

“I know it’s going to be a lot of fun,” added freshman Pookie Powell. “Everybody is going to have a good time. That’s what made me commit here, Memphis Madness.”

After a fan vote over the offseason, the team will unveil the new homecourt for the first time at 7:45 p.m. The new surface is expected to be decorated by the Memphis skyline, as well as the Hernando de Soto Bridge. After the redesigned court is revealed, the Memphis women’s basketball team will be introduced, followed by the men’s team around 8:05 p.m. The next event will be the dunk contest, as members of the men’s team will showcase their dunking skills. Generally, there are a group of judges that rank each attempt and ultimately choose a winner. The men’s team will then scrimmage for about 10 minutes of game clock to cap off the event. There will also be some form of entertainment that is yet to be revealed by the Athletic Department. The Tigers are also expected to expose their new uniforms for the 2013-14 season in four different colors: blue, black, white and grey. A limited number of free tickets will be available at FedExForum’s box office on Oct. 17 and 18 starting at 10 a.m. Students can enter the event free with a student ID, as the university has blocked off the usual student section in the lower bowl of the arena. “I’m ready for that, but I’m more ready to see how we do in our first game and how we play with each other,” explained Tiger freshman Dominic Woodson. Not only does Memphis have a number of exciting events planned, but the team is hosting two top-25 recruits for the class of 2014 including Cliff Alexander, the top overall power forward in the class by the 247Sports Composite Rankings. “It’s free,” said Memphis head coach Josh Pastner. “Let’s pack the forum out. We want it to have a tremendous sellout crowd.”